Alice & Ruth, Early Careers @ Schneider Electric

Hello everyone, welcome back to The Graduate Guide. Today I'm joined by Alice and Ruth, they're part of the early careers team at Schneider Electric. Welcome to the show, guys.

Thanks, Charlie.

Thank you for having us.

Thanks so much for coming. I think the perfect place would— to start would just be some, some introductions from yourselves. What is your current role at Schneider Electric, what does your journey look like?

Do you want to start with you, Ruth?

Go on then, I'll go first. So yeah, so my name's Ruth Anderson, I'm the Early Careers Manager at Schneider Electric, so I look after our graduate and apprentice programmes. I've been with Schneider now for 10 years. I came into the business through an acquisition. I worked in lots of different roles throughout my career before I came into the HR team and then subsequently into early careers, and it's a space now that I've, I've been in for around about 12 months and absolutely loving this this role. So yeah, amazing.

Thank you.

And my name is Alice Stockton. I am the UK and Ireland Graduate Program Manager at Schneider Electric. I have been with the company 5 years. I actually started my career at the company as a graduate, so can have the perspective of being a graduate and of course now on the other side of actually managing the graduates.

So amazing. And what is— what is the kind of progression look like from you going from graduate to now being in the role you're at?

Oh gosh, okay, so I did a year on graduate programme where I actually underwent 3 4-month placements. Now I remember, God, you're taking me back a bit. And I actually did my placements in customer satisfaction. Then I went into early careers because I was interested in the actual topic of recruiting early careers. Then I moved into government affairs at a time when COVID hit. So that was a very interesting team to be in at the time. And then following the graduate programme, I was looking for transformational roles. And at the time, the role came up that was in the e-commerce environment. So it was very much about how we transact online. Did that for about a year, then had another opportunity put to me to go into internal communications. My actual degree was in marketing, so it was something that I thought, you know what, I want to actually apply myself to what I did in my degree and see if it— see if it's kind of for myself. Loved it, but the opportunity came at Early Careers and I couldn't turn it down because it's always been a passion of mine to give back to what I had given to me, if that makes sense. So it's been a bit of a full circle really in my career.

That's amazing. And Ruth, on your side, you mentioned that you, you've worked in a lot of different roles, a lot of different departments. I think one thing that's, that's always interesting is I always encourage students I speak to to, to really get as much experience and broad experience as they can. What would you say you've learned are kind of some really important transferable skills that you can, you can gain as a student, as a younger person, then help you in any, any area you decide to go into?

Yeah, I think, well, there's lots of things that I could say on that. Being involved, I think one of my key messages would always be say yes to every opportunity. I think being opportunistic gives you chances that maybe you wouldn't normally have. So if I reflect on my career, I've probably said yes to things that I didn't think were necessarily in my skill set, but actually having the opportunity to do something different helps you to really understand more about yourself and what you do and you don't like. So I think being open to different opportunities is one thing that I would really suggest. I think, yeah, taking opportunities, being open, being yourself. I think being, you know, as an organization recruiting early careers, we're really looking for people that are their unique selves, and we want to see different personalities because that diversity of thought and diversity of thinking comes into our organization and makes us a better place to work. So, yeah, I think they've been kind of my two key messages. Amazing.

I think that's really, really great advice. I think often We were speaking about this a bit before, and we can maybe touch on it now, but I think often students are so focused on what professional experience they can get. I guess this would be a great point to touch on this is, what do you both look for in an applicant that helps them stand out? And kind of what, what can students do that allows them to differentiate them from everyone else that has an internship or has a spring week or has a placement? What can they do that helps them stand out amongst that crowd?

So for me, I think like there is a focus obviously on the, the internship element and work experience element, But I am really strong on, as long as you commit to a part-time role, whether that be in retail, hospitality, you know, those kind of industries teach you a lot. And I think I worked 6 years in retail before I came into the Schneider Electric environment, and I didn't know how much that experience really benefited myself because I got the opportunity to interact with a range of different people, deal with a range of customer situations, as we can all imagine if we've been in the retail or hospitality environment, and it really gave me that chance to apply it in a corporate environment as well. And I think, I think, you know, to stand out, I think it's really hard to say because we all have, you know, a value to give. But I think if you can really be passionate about what you stand for— and I always say my thing is I, I stand for being authentic— and I think if you can really bring your authentic self And no matter what you do in terms of work experience, part-time experience, as long as you stand for what you believe in, then that's something that I truly look for when I'm interviewing people.

Regarding that authentic self, does that— is that possible to come across it in the application? The reason I ask is that I've spoke to a few people before, and a common piece of advice they've given is to actually put a bit more emphasis into the hobbies and interests because sometimes get that across.

I would say, yeah, not— obviously the qualifications are kind of the precursor to the application, but what we do want to see are the other things that you've done in additional to the qualifications. So it could be hobbies, it could be volunteering, it could be activities like that you've supported other organisations, it could be work experience, it could be internships. There's so many things that people do in their personal life that they maybe think is not relevant, but it gives you a really good opportunity to demonstrate your skills, your competencies through experiences that you've had that haven't necessarily been in the workplace.

Yeah, is there anything to add on that, Alice?

I just think it's sometimes taking, going the extra mile. I said this morning to some students that something that I did when I was going for graduate opportunities is I used to look at the recruiters at that organisation, connect with them on LinkedIn, and I had the comment quite a lot when I went to interviews of, 'Oh, I recognise your name,' and I said, 'Yeah, because I've connected with you on LinkedIn,' and I think I used LinkedIn to really tell my story at university, and I think I don't want students to be afraid of, you know, actually posting about the presentation that you did or the fact that you handed in a particular work that you'd worked hours on in the library, like they were things that I posted about and things that were actually noticed by recruiters of, oh, we saw you actually studied this element in your university time. And I said, yeah, no, that was from this. And I think it's just going that extra mile to really tell your story. And I think what I love when I meet candidates and when I read applications and whatnot is I start to get a feel of the person. What do they value? I mean, we could probably go on it earlier— well, later on— but it's about, you know, using tools such as AI and ChatGPT to, you know, support you in research and whatnot. But I think using that to an extent that doesn't then, you know, distract you from telling your story, if that makes sense.

Yeah, no, I love that. I think it's— the authenticity is, I think, so important for anyone. And so with the LinkedIn stuff, would you recommend then that all students out there try to be more present on LinkedIn?

Oh, 100%.

Kind of create a personal brand there.

I think even like if people at our company who have been there years, I always say, you I think to get more known, you need to be on LinkedIn, you need to be engaging and liking things, sharing articles that are interest of you. Whenever a student connects with me, I always look, okay, they're from this area of the country, they're this background in the degree, this university, but what is it that really makes them them? And I love it when I see personal photos of them working in teams, working on the hobbies, or obviously doing the part-time work because I start to get a sense of what their story is.

Yeah. No, I think that's great advice.

Yeah, no, I'd second that. I think LinkedIn's a great platform to, to kind of share more about you and who you are as a person. And, and we always instill with our graduates and any student groups that we meet that networking's so important because often opportunities— I've talked about being opportunistic— often they come through that network, people that you bump into, people that you chat to. And it's amazing how many kind of spin-off things can happen from that. So it's really important to network, really important to be sure about who you are, what your brand what you're about and, and make sure that people know about that.

So yeah, I think that's, that really is great advice. And obviously you've both been through, through different journeys. Um, what are, what is a setback or a challenge that kind of stands out to both of you as really pivotal during your journeys that have maybe kind of yet transformed your career as such?

Thinking I needed to be a certain way to enter the corporate environment. I remember my first week and the manager I had, she was so authentic, should I say, and she was, she's taught me so much in terms of the career I've had Snyder, she told me, I remember I said, you know, what do I wear? Like, do I need to wear a full suit? Like, do I need to write this on my emails? And she said, Alice, you be you. You've got here for a reason. Yes, obviously to an extent I can't come in the office in flip-flops, but it's about, you know, not sacrificing what I stand for. And if you want to say, I hope you are doing well, in all your emails, then do that, you know. It's your style, it's who you are. So I would just say, yeah, really, you know, stay authentic.

No, I'd say the same. I'm trying to think about— I've had probably more setbacks than you've had in your career. My career is a bit longer than Alice's, but I think there's a couple of moments that have stood out for me. I kind of— I didn't go to university straight from school. I went into the world of work for personal reasons. So I probably started out feeling like because I don't have a degree, I'm different to everybody else and it sets me back. But I think realising that actually I have something to offer. Eventually I went and did my degree. Actually, I did it when I was 40, not when I was like in my 20s, but I did it in the end. But it was that I did it for me at that point and not because I needed it for the job. So I guess the other key pivotal moments in my career have been certain jobs that I've gone into I've really enjoyed, and some jobs that I've gone into I've learned more from what I didn't enjoy. So I think, I think that's really important. You will come into roles or opportunities that you learn from because you don't enjoy them, and and that's just as important as learning the things that you do really enjoy. So I think over the years that's kind of helped me to kind of narrow down, okay, so that doesn't work for me, that really works for me. And, and so it helps you kind of shape your next role and where you want to go to.

Yeah, one thing there that really does spring out to me I love is the fact that you said you didn't have a university degree. I think now it's becoming a lot more of a space in the, in the workforce. Actually, you don't need a university degree, you can go and get a job at a top company without that, and there's a lot more apprenticeships. So I'd love to kind of pivot now to what What opportunities are there for entry-level opportunities at Schneider Electric? I'm sure we'll have some people that are listening that are high school still or doing their A-levels as well as people at university, so it'd be great to hear about, yeah, all the different opportunities there are.

Yeah, I mean, we have loads of opportunities for young people to join us whether they've got degrees or not. We have a graduate programme. Obviously, the graduate programme has its purpose. We're looking at people that are relatively fresh grads that are going to come in and they're going to go into the workforce and progress pretty quickly. We also have a large number of opportunities for apprenticeships, so we offer apprenticeships from Level 2 through to Level 7, and we also offer entry-level roles where they're not necessarily apprenticeships or graduate programs, but they're entry-level roles for young people to come into that maybe don't want to study or don't want to study right now. We've got a really interesting opportunity in the UK with the Apprenticeship Levy that we pay as an organisation to develop people, not always young people, anybody can develop their skills, different stages of their career. So if it's not for you right now, studying, that's okay. It doesn't mean that you can't get the world of work, start to discover what you like and what you don't like. And I found my studies came off the back of a total change in career. I stepped into HR and I was like, this is where I want to be, so I'm going to go and do a degree in that subject. So mine's kind of the opposite of, I guess, the traditional way. Yeah.

Alice, obviously you run the graduate programme. Just wondering for the students out there, are there different streams of that graduate programme, different areas of the business they can come in and work within?

Yeah, so I mean, our graduate programme has evolved year on year. What it was when I started is very different to how it is today. So how it is today is we actually do bring our graduates into pathways rather than a more open programme. Those pathways include everything from technical and engineering, sales and marketing, data and software. And also we do have a programme that works co-side our programme, which is a 24-month sustainability consultancy programme. So our programme that I manage is 12 months, and then there is another programme that I look after the grads on a local level, but it is managed globally. And that's the thing with Schneider, that we've got a lot of graduate programmes, but they are managed in different ways based on where you are. And so it's very much a lot of opportunities, but it's just what's right for you.

There's something for everyone, basically, is the point. And what would you say is the main reason why students should consider Schneider as a graduate as a graduate employer?

Honestly, the people. I just think when I came into this world, I mean, I was very thinking that it was going to be a particular way, everyone spoke in a particular way, did business in a particular way, and I really found that it was about relationships. And I think everyone, when I was on my graduate year and even today, are very supportive, and there's a lot of respect and trust in the organisation, and we're very much passionate about DEI, which is obviously diversity, equity, and inclusion. And that really sees through, especially in our early careers. It's something that we're quite passionate about, but I think there's a vision that everyone has value to add, and you can feel that from the top down.

Yeah, I'd agree. Obviously, the people is a big reason why I would say I've stayed in Schneider for so long, but I think the other thing is opportunities. So, we're a large organisation, we operate locally and globally, and I think the opportunities for individuals to come in and define their own career path is just incredible. So, if I think about my own career, I think when I counted up my jobs, you know, I've had probably something like 14 or 15 roles. You know, people move around often in Schneider. If you're interested in moving, obviously, if you're not, you can stay in a role for longer, but there's so many opportunities to do different things. You're not necessarily in one department and you stay in that department forever. We have internal mobility, we have a platform that we use internally where we advertise projects and secondments and roles. So, there's so much opportunity to move. Whether that's within the UK or whether that's globally. We've got lots of people that move around the country and around other countries as well.

That's amazing. So you mentioned that there's projects and roles.

Yeah.

Would you have to entirely switch your role, or could you actually just say, okay, I'm quite interested in this area, I want to jump on a project in there and then just work on that for a few months, whatever it may be?

Yeah, so you can do that. You can do that in addition to your role.

Yeah.

So it tends to be something that, um, if somebody advertises a project, for example, if we need somebody to develop something for early careers and we don't have the skills within our team, the chances are within Schneider globally there is somebody. So we could advertise a project to say, you know, could you design this solution for us? Probably going to be 3 months or 6 months, a couple of days a week, and you, and then you can put yourself forward for that project and apply for it like a role. So it gives people the opportunity to develop skills that maybe they don't utilize in their role today, but they want to develop in order for their future career role.

I love that. I think that's, that's so powerful. I don't know if enough kind of corporates do that, or bigger, bigger companies, because I get a lot of questions, a lot of questions from students saying, should I consider working at a startup when I graduate? And the one reason I always say yes is because you get so much exposure to different areas, you learn so quickly. And I often feel like at bigger companies maybe you're restricted from doing that because you're somewhat pigeonholed, whereas with Schneider, that doesn't sound like the case at all. Absolutely not.

It's not the case within Schneider. It's almost the opposite. So, and in fact, sometimes we were having a conversation with one of our vice presidents today and she was saying, you know, sometimes we move a bit too quickly. You know, you're kind of in this role and suddenly somebody's talking to you about the next role. Which, you know, is a great problem to have, right? You know, okay, I'm going to move on to another one. But sometimes I think it's important to kind of deepen that knowledge in a role and recognise that actually I need to stay here for a few years to, you know, really develop that depth. And then again, it might be you move on a couple of years later. So there's loads of opportunities at Schneider to do that.

That's really, really is actually amazing, Tia. I wish I knew about Schneider when I was applying.

A lot of people don't know about us.

We are a very well-kept secret.

Hopefully we can change that. Um, but yeah, Alice, you also mentioned about the people being one of the best things about Schneider. What would you say the culture is like? I know that's often hard to pinpoint and define, but what would you say some key, key values that you think everyone shares at the company?

Openness. Like, we're very— all very open. Like, obviously work gets challenging sometimes, and we're all very open with each other in terms of— there is so many projects that you can get involved in, and I think it's about saying, okay, I might not have capacity right now, but come back to me in a few weeks and I may be able to change that. And I think just trust. I mean, I'd started with, I think it was 19 grads, 19 of us, and we are all very connected today. I'm 5 years down and I still know a lot of them and know where they are in the business, what they are doing, and we all feel kind of connected in the sense we started our journey together. So, I would just say it's, I don't wanna say cliché family, but I would say definitely the reason that I've stayed where I am today is because of the opportunity that I've had to work with the people that I do work with today.

Amazing. I mean, the fact that the majority of those 19 have all stayed at the company— yeah, which is a good sign in itself. Um, and you mentioned earlier about ChatGPT, AI. I know there's a lot of students out there that will be using that in some way for applications. How do you see AI affecting what you do within your process and affecting kind of the graduate schemes apprenticeships as a whole?

So, I mean, ChatGPT— can't even get my words out— is is a great tool in terms of, you know, I use it for kind of posting on LinkedIn, if I'm not getting that across any more than I can. I use it, you know, for base research, if I want interview questions, you know, it's very much a good tool to use to get you back what you're looking for. But I would say that the thing that we have potentially seen, and you know, we can't guarantee it, is in applications and video interviews, there may be some wording that is used word for word, and I would just say to kind of shy away from that slightly, just because it's great great to use on a research element, but I think when it actually defines what you say word for word, it's not yourself and it's not you that's coming across to the assessor as well on the other end. I don't know if you've got any—

yeah, one thing to just quickly add there, Ruth, and then it would be great to get your thoughts, is what I see a lot in on LinkedIn in particular, for example, the advice I see given is that because you can't get a graduate role, it's all a numbers game and you should apply to as many as possible. But what that then does, it encourages students to take shortcuts And one of the biggest things I've learned from speaking to people like yourself is actually you want to see a student that cares about working for Schneider and not that they've just put questions into ChatGPT and repeated them so they can get through another application. You want to actually see that they care and you're almost like one of their first choices, essentially.

Yeah, and I think that's important. That's kind of back to that point around authenticity and bringing your whole self to the table is we want to see you as an individual and we want to see why you're passionate about joining Schneider and why the role's of interest to you. So we want to know that you really want that job. And it's not just a job that you've applied for, and that you can't get that through using ChatGPT. So it is really easy to— we, we've watched some video interviews, haven't we, where you think, that sounds like, it sounds very ChatGPT, it doesn't sound authentic. And at some point you are going to get caught out if you use that, particularly when you come then to a face-to-face and you've, you've not got the opportunity to use ChatGPT. So great, as Alice said, great for research, great for helping you shape answers and things like that. Really good tool. I use it also. But there is a point where the company wants to see you, like, the actual real you. Yeah.

And I think something I just want to add that you said about it is hard, and that I very much relate to 5 years ago Alice looking for those opportunities. I can't tell you how many opportunities I applied for, and I can't tell you how many automated emails that I got of, you're not right for this opportunity today, or you're not right for this business today. And I think it's just having that perseverance there that, okay, it may take a bit of extra investment, and yes, don't get me wrong, studies, you know, are much as important as obviously applying to roles post-university, but I think it's, it's making sure that you don't give up, and I can't stress that enough because the right opportunity will come your way and what's right for you will happen.

But I guess it's about putting that time into each application, not just skipping through and taking those shortcuts.

We know, we know, and it's, it's awful to say, but I can see when a, when a candidate as thoroughly, you know, wants this role, wants this opportunity, because I see it in the passion. And I said to students this morning that even when you're discussing with someone from the company, that excitement that I feel from someone and the smiling, and I'm like, okay, this person really wants this. Like, this person, I want to give the opportunity to them. And I think you feel the same way.

Yeah, absolutely. It's— and, and coming away from that conversation is, is it— you, you get that feeling, you're like, I, I— we want to go for that individual. You can tell that they're really a good fit. And I I think it's important for you to, again, in the conversation we had with students earlier today, we were talking about rather than sitting in an interview or an assessment centre and being quite robotic, just be yourself, be animated, ask questions, be engaged, because you'll be remembered that way. You know, when you've had a good conversation with somebody, you'll remember that, whereas when you've gone through standard interview questions, it's a bit more forgettable, so yeah.

Of course, and that makes complete sense. And I guess to kind of wrap it up, in terms of, you've given a lot of valuable advice to students already, so I feel kind of cheeky asking this, but what is your number one piece of advice to students listening?

Be you. I can't get that across enough, I think. And see the value that you add and know that you add value. But I think also, you know, being open to being adaptable as well. As Ruth said earlier, you know, in the past 5 years at Schneider, I've had experiences that I've not quite liked, I've had experiences that I've liked, I've had experiences that I've loved, and I think it's being open to that, you know, opportunity that it probably is going to be a bit of a roller coaster sometimes, but as long as you stick on for the ride, then you're in for a, you know, a good time.

Yeah, no, I'd second that, but I'd also say, say yes to everything, say yes to opportunities, because you don't know where that opportunity is going to take you. For me, I said yes to working on a project and it took me from working in a management role into HR, and you know, those kind of things can be transformational, saying yes. You can't say yes to everything. You have to be mindful of the fact that, you know, you have your day job and you have certain commitments and you've got bandwidth issues sometimes, but the more you can say yes to, the more those opportunities are going to come out, and who knows where they're going to take you.

I think especially early on, right, you can, you can say yes to a bit more. You don't have as much commitment.

Yeah, yeah, my graduate year, the best advice I would say is I was here, there, and everywhere. I probably wouldn't be able to do that now, you know, if any of my colleagues are listening on there today, but really, like, as a graduate, just, just put yourself out there, get your name out there, and really then the opportunities will follow that way.

Amazing. No, thank you so much for that advice. And I guess final thing before the students stop listening is, where can they find out more about the opportunities? What is the, the best place to find all the opportunities that you have on offer?

So you can go to our career website. It's probably not the easiest to navigate. Probably the best thing is connect with either myself or Alice, you can do that obviously through LinkedIn. Um, and yeah, if you go to the Schneider website, the careers page will tell you opportunities. It will, it will take you towards kind of what we've got available today.

Yeah, amazing. Thank you so much for both coming on as well. Thank you for having us.

Thank you.

Thank you.